Favorite Broadway / Pit Show Parts for Trombone

[EriKon]

Some lighthearted topic:

What are your favorite B'way/Pit shows in terms of having a nice/well-written/challenging trombone/low brass part? And why?

I'm aware there are lots of different versions for many shows out there, so maybe elaborate on the version as well for further information.

[EriKon]

I will start with my favorite books that I played:
Hercules - We did the new world-wide version in Hamburg the last one and a half years which has now moved to the Westend. Everything re-orchestrated and so on. Quite challenging book, really exhausting, lots of low bass trombone, some tenor. Mostly Gospel-Soul influenced music. Great fun!

Wicked - I played a re-arranged version a few years ago which was cut down to band and horn section + cello. Although it wasn't the original stuff and the music was re-written basically it was huge fun. High Tenor Tb + lyrical Euphonium-Colla Voces.

Some other favorites:
Lion King - nicely written tenor book. Heavy bass/tuba part.

Lend Me A Tenor - Bigband like show with some nice small solo spots. High tenor.

Cabaret - Everyone knows Cabaret. Always fun.

West Side Story - only played the tenor part so far, but such a thrilling show to play if it's played good. Also a nice mixture/crossover of classical and jazz music.

Titanic - The best symphonic show I played so far. Although it's mostly long tones and just one small solo-like spot it's just really well written and huge fun to play with two strong players. Just played the tenor part.

Shows I would love to play at some point:
Hadestown
Sweeney Todd
Wicked (Original version)

[MStarke]

I only played a few, the two I played the most were Victor/Victoria and Les Miserables. Victor/Victoria was for tenor and bass, both with some really nice spots and small solos. Not really sure Reg instrumentation of Les Miserables. Is there a version for 3 trombones and tuba? Anyway I know it was fun to play!

[BEngland]

I think for me Urinetown is one of my favorite books to play. Not a big group (rhythm section and woodwind doubler and low brass doubler) but lots of exposed writing that is fun to play. As I remember the book was trombone (Bass) and Euphonium. My other favorite was probably West Side Story on book 1, however, that book was a bit of a stretch for me.

[AndrewMeronek]

West Side Story - only played the tenor part so far, but such a thrilling show to play if it's played good. Also a nice mixture/crossover of classical and jazz music.

Titanic - The best symphonic show I played so far. Although it's mostly long tones and just one small solo-like spot it's just really well written and huge fun to play with two strong players. Just played the tenor part.

I agree, Titanic was such a fun blow.

Bucket List #1: West Side Story.

Last year I had the good fortune to do Memphis (The Musical). If you have a strong trumpeter, it's a blast!

[BGuttman]

I did the combo arrangement for "Anything Goes". My part was longer than the trumpet's. Nice Dorsey-like solo in "Let's Misbehave". Not much sitting and waiting.

Also liked "Urinetown". Strange instrumentation, but a good blow for a bass trombonist.

"Barnum" tuba part had me marching down the aisles leading the pit orchestra in "Come Follow the Band" (also had me improvise in the key of D! Playing a Sousaphone!!) Did most of the part on bass trombone because the tuba was too loud for the amateur staging.

[Burgerbob]

I played Urinetown on medium tenor... almost all of it is clearly tenor, just a couple low Cs you can pull to E for. It's a small group, once I read the show down I realized bass would be way too much.

It is a fun book though- I played it twice within a couple months in 2023 and had a blast.

Chicago is also really fun, I played 1st trombone on the full? version in college and it was a great time.

[Fidbone]

My favourites that I have played long running have been.

The Rat Pack “ live at Las Vegas”
Fosse
Five Guys named Moe.

All are swing/jazz oriented and written for small bore Tenor trombone and have solo spots, apart from the Bass trombone in the Rat Pack of course!

[PhilTrombone]

"The Wiz" has a challenging, fun, and funky trombone book.

I guess it's time for a "worst broadway show book" topic. There are some stinkers out there.

[DaveAshley]

I played “Singin in the Rain” several times last spring. That’s a fun one!
The “Moses Supposes” instrumental section is one of the toughest things I’ve ever played!

[VJOFan]

I have an extremely small experience with pit work. I wish I had played more shows. I have enjoyed that environment of performance. I won’t argue for its artistic merit or anything else, but I love Annie. I could listen or play It’s a Hard Knock Life on repeat happily. There are a few other nice moments in the book too. Not a sophisticated or experienced pick, but soooo much fun to me.

[Brady]

Two that I had a lot of fun playing were "Spamalot" and "The Addams Family". Lots of variety in those. I hope I can get a chance to play some of the others mentioned here!

[WGWTR180]

I've played waaaay too many shows over the last 30 years to remember all of them but here are some highlights:

Phantom of the Opera: 21 years on Broadway. It was nice to play in a 27 piece orchestra and the bass trombone part has some nice moments. Many exposed bass moments and at times acting as trumpet 3 or 4th horn.

City of Angels: Billy Byers orchestrations were phenomenal and there's a very exposed 1st trombone solo that was "written" for Jim Pugh on Broadway. Nail biting.

The Full Monty: Lots of fun with some cranking' bass bone moments. The show was hilarious and was unfortunately a casualty of post 9/11 on Broadway.

Kiss Me Kate: Don Sebesky orchestrations keep you very busy and it's a mute orgy at best. But he can always make 15 sound like 30.

Wicked: I'll go opposite of others here. I've played both the N Tour version and the New York version. It's a bunch of loud-that's it. Busy doubling bass and synth parts. In my opinion what's on stage is far better than what's going on in the pit. But how can I argue with its commercial success.

Chicago: Band is onstage and featured throughout the production. Written for 2 tenor trombones(forget the 1 low B in the Bone 2 part-it's insignificant and played up the octave) both parts have some nice moments. Orchestrations are great and the tuba/upright bass chair is worth the listen alone.

Others I really enjoyed playing: Beautiful, Book of Mormon, any R & H show for the orchestrations,
West Side Story.

That's my short list.

[TheConnArtist70H]

Great thread bye the way.......
I've done quite a lot of Pit work over the last 40 years in the UK and have to say the most satisfying being:-

West side Story - 2nd Trombone - 30 Piece Pro Orchestra / Full Production version ( yes a very large under stage Pit ) A truly challenging piece covering both Bass and Tenor range but amazing to play through the huge dynamic ranges. I really had to dig deep to pull it off which I did and is possibly the highlight of my Pit Orchestra playing. Played on old trusted 1985 Bach 50B3LG which I still have.

Titanic the Musical - 2nd Trombone - 28 Piece Pro Orchestra / Production.
Amazing and powerful Bass trombone part from the opening overture right the way through, really powerful writing and score, perfect Bass Trombone range, I had goosebumps playing this every single time.
Again played on my Bach 50B3LG which I believe was used on the original broadway recording by Jeff Nelson.

Sadly, not much of this type of work around over here but happy that I had my golden opportunity that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I'm still playing in some wonderful orchestras so can't complain

Al

[bassclef]

Some great parts listed so far, with which I totally agree.

I think my absolute favorite so far has been Trombone 2 (all bass bone) for Dream Girls. Also one of the most challenging endurance wise, but it's chock-full of slammin' idiomatically perfect Motown/R&B lines. So, so fun.

I have played some other shows which had lots of stuff written (attempted?) in the same style and IMO were miserably awkward, corny at best. Memphis comes to top of mind here.

Two other favorites of mine are Les Mis and the bass trombone/tuba reduction of Beauty & The Beast.

[WGWTR180]

One of my recent favorites is MJ THE Musical. Lots of great horn charts!!

[fsgazda]

I enjoyed playing Matilda a lot. Some fun bass stuff and a lot of switching to keep me on my toes. I also have enjoyed Chicago and Addams family. Some older shows that were fun:

Bass trombone/tuba on Will Rogers Follies.
Kiss me Kate
Cabaret
I like Fiddler on the Roof, even though it's not the busiest part.

Shows I don't like:
Carousel (boring)
Pippen. I just didn't get it.
Once upon a Mattress. I know that people like it. I didn't

[AndrewMeronek]

I played “Singin in the Rain” several times last spring. That’s a fun one!
The “Moses Supposes” instrumental section is one of the toughest things I’ve ever played!

I've done this, and I didn't like it. IMHO Moses Supposes was needlessly hard and not well-orchestrated.

[DaveAshley]

I played “Singin in the Rain” several times last spring. That’s a fun one!
The “Moses Supposes” instrumental section is one of the toughest things I’ve ever played!

I've done this, and I didn't like it. IMHO Moses Supposes was needlessly hard and not well-orchestrated.

I was subbing, but I made some corrections to some glaring mistakes in the book.

I enjoyed the challenge of Moses Supposes. I get bored.

I played a wild book for the 42nd Street national tour 20 years ago. It had the trombone parts, French horn solos, and 3rd trumpet parts in one book, covering as much as possible. It was a workout, but I came out of it with chops of steel after about 375 shows.

[bus2]

"MJ the Musical" is a blast! Lots of tight Jerry Hey horn licks. Very challenging.

"Aladdin" is a really fun double, especially if you like bass trombone. There is a cool latin number where you have to lay it down.

"Wicked" is a good challenge. Big moments for solotone mute when the Wizard sings. There is one hit in the Exit Music that is fun to play louder and louder each show. It's a low C# on bass right before the audience erupts in a huge cheer for one of the cast members. I was convinced the audience was cheering for the CRANKING BASS BONE HIT! (Gotta stay entertained in the pit!)

"Ain't Too Proud" is fun, especially if you have wanted to dance and play on stage! The rider instructs you to memorize the last couple of tunes, and there are several instructional videos for the dance. I practiced the dancing more than anything else, wondering if anybody has ever died of fright. Then when the tour came we found out that the dance part was real but the tune was faked with a backing track. Still super fun to be able to say that you've danced on a Broadway tour.

[WGWTR180]

"MJ the Musical" is a blast! Lots of tight Jerry Hey horn licks. Very challenging.

"Aladdin" is a really fun double, especially if you like bass trombone. There is a cool latin number where you have to lay it down.

"Wicked" is a good challenge. Big moments for solotone mute when the Wizard sings. There is one hit in the Exit Music that is fun to play louder and louder each show. It's a low C# on bass right before the audience erupts in a huge cheer for one of the cast members. I was convinced the audience was cheering for the CRANKING BASS BONE HIT! (Gotta stay entertained in the pit!)

"Ain't Too Proud" is fun, especially if you have wanted to dance and play on stage! The rider instructs you to memorize the last couple of tunes, and there are several instructional videos for the dance. I practiced the dancing more than anything else, wondering if anybody has ever died of fright. Then when the tour came we found out that the dance part was real but the tune was faked with a backing track. Still super fun to be able to say that you've danced on a Broadway tour.

You're right about that low C# in Wicked-Of course it's for the bass trombone!! Unfortunately in the Broadway orchestration it's not in there. Oh well.

[EriKon]

One of my recent favorites is MJ THE Musical. Lots of great horn charts!!

Actually I'm right now sitting over here playing MJ and about to finish the first half. It can be fun with a good horn section, but it's a nightmare if the horn section is not tight.

[WGWTR180]

One of my recent favorites is MJ THE Musical. Lots of great horn charts!!

Actually I'm right now sitting over here playing MJ and about to finish the first half. It can be fun with a good horn section, but it's a nightmare if the horn section is not tight.

Agreed! Where are you doing the show?

[AndrewMeronek]

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to do a world premiere of Alyce The Musical at the Meadow Brook Theater, on the Oakland University campus in Rochester, Michigan. So far, that is the only run that has happened.

Composer: David Fizzini
Lyricist: Mitch Carter
Orchestrator: Matthew Croft

Lots of people associated with Notre Dame Preparatory School (in Pontiac, Michigan) put it together. This show is part of my favorites - I was doubling tenor and bass trombone, and there were some pretty fun, meaty parts that Matt scored out. But primarily because it was inspiring to be a part of such a large effort by local artists. Putting together an original show is no joke.

They still have the website active:

https://alycethemusical.com/

[EriKon]

Actually I'm right now sitting over here playing MJ and about to finish the first half. It can be fun with a good horn section, but it's a nightmare if the horn section is not tight.

Agreed! Where are you doing the show?

In Hamburg, Germany. It's running for almost a year now over here.

[WGWTR180]

Agreed! Where are you doing the show?

In Hamburg, Germany. It's running for almost a year now over here.

Awesome! Nice run!

[Fidbone]

Agreed! Where are you doing the show?

In Hamburg, Germany. It's running for almost a year now over here.

Operettenhaus Hamburg …..my old job from 2007-2015

[Schultz]

Operettenhaus is currently running “& Juliet” but will start the German production of Back to the Future in early 2026.

Theatre an der Elbe is the current home of MJ since Dec 2024. Frozen ran for about 3 years before that.

Theatre Neue Flora just finished their run of Hercules and will start up Tarzan next month

and Theatre im Hafen has been the home of the German Lion King production since Dec 2001

Hamburg is a great musical theatre town and possibly the third biggest after New York and London!

[Posaunus]

Are the Hamburg productions all performed in German?

[EriKon]

Are the Hamburg productions all performed in German?

Mostly yes. With MJ they kept the songs in English but the dialogue is in German.
For Hamilton a few years back they did a full translation of the piece which wasn't received that well if I remember correctly.
Hercules was fully German. Lion King is German/Zulu/Swahili and all the other African languages that are part of the original piece.

[Schultz]

I just did a summer festival run of West Side Story where everything was in German...songs and dialogue...it was horrible...even the Germans thought so. Bad bad translations. But it was actually at the behest of the Bernstein estate, who apparently one time heard the Germans butchering it in English. So now all German productions of WSS must be all in German...ironically half of our cast weren't even native German speakers. I think most German productions of original English shows would be better off with songs in English but text in German...you get some interesting translations. And often they just translate the jokes literally which just doesn't work, especially with a cultural reference or word play.

I Feel Pretty in German was literally "I'm Looking Good"
Can You Feel the Love Tonight literally translates as "Can It Really Be Love?" in German and "Can You Feel The Love Growing" in Dutch
Circle of Life is "Eternal Circle" in German and "Everything Breathes and Lives" in Dutch.

One interesting thing about performing long runs of shows in languages you aren't native in is that i really have no idea what the text of the songs are. I've been on the German Lion King production for 4 years now and also worked on the Dutch one...while sitting in the pit you can switch off the part of your brain that constantly listens to the dialogue. It would be very weird for me to do a production in English i think.

With the Hamilton production I believe it was not only a translation thing, but also finding people who could rap the translated text in the style it needed to be in, and make it understandable to the audience.

Luckily for us the music is pretty much always the same! We don't often get the exact broadway large orchestrations like Lion King, Frozen, or Wicked, but more often the touring version ones...which these days sadly means more Keycomp. We are "lucky" to still have the 17 piece Lion King orchestration, as the show has been running for 24 years. After the 17 piece version was in the Netherlands in 2004 for 2,5 years, when it came back 10 years later and ran for almost 3 years it was with the 10 piece orchestration that cut the trombones and strings.
MJ, and Hamilton were however the same as the original. And my summer production of WSS was also the original. Complete with bassoon, and a bass sax! That 2nd bone book is great fun to play!

[sterb225]

in my experience
City of Angels - amazing score with some real white-knuckle moments for the lead player. Billy B came into the pit after the show last time I played this to compliment the band.
Cabaret - just a blast, and you get to steal the lead from the trumpet
West Side Story - I played this on bass and loved every second

[EOlson9]

Some of my favorites in the pit were Les Mis, Newsies, and Tarzan.

[WGWTR180]

in my experience
City of Angels - amazing score with some real white-knuckle moments for the lead player. Billy B came into the pit after the show last time I played this to compliment the band.
Cabaret - just a blast, and you get to steal the lead from the trumpet
West Side Story - I played this on bass and loved every second

Did you sub on City of Angels years ago when it was in New York?

[ngrinder]

I would have seen City of Angels just to hear Pugh play those parts!

One of my favorite shows to play was Parade. I did the run of the show in NYC, and it just finished up a tour (sadly with no trombone). Don Sebesky did the arrangements of the original run, and the composer, Jason Robert Brown, tweaked the most recent parts to include tuba and euphonium. While there wasn't a ton of prominent "trombone moments," the music and orchestration was simply incredible, weaving 20th century classical styles quite seamlessly with catchier blues and pop styles. I'd describe it as rich ear worms tastefully executed with echoes of minimalism and Charles Ives. I highly recommend folks listen to the cast recordings (both the 1999 original and new one). JRB and Sebesky really knew how to write for all the instruments.

A close second is War Paint...which was a short lived star vehicle for Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole here in NYC. Musically it punched well above it's weight, IMO. Water For Elephants also had some really fun trombone parts, as did Gypsy, which just finished up. There are so many, though!

[sterb225]

in my experience
City of Angels - amazing score with some real white-knuckle moments for the lead player. Billy B came into the pit after the show last time I played this to compliment the band.
Cabaret - just a blast, and you get to steal the lead from the trumpet
West Side Story - I played this on bass and loved every second

Did you sub on City of Angels years ago when it was in New York?

No, summer theater near the Hamptons. Amazing production, but not Broadway!